The case for and against impeachment of President Clinton is unfolding through the Constitution's prescribed process, as it should. If the full House of Representatives on Thursday endorses its judiciary committee's vote, as expected, impeachment hearings will begin soon, with the president's lawyers allowed to cross-examine witnesses.

Although this process cleaves to the Constitution, which is desirable, it is being marred by lock-step partisanship. The 21-16 committee vote went right down party lines, with every Republican voting for a formal inquiry into impeachment, and every Democrat voting against.

If rank partisanship continues, the result will be a deepening and hardening of this country's political division. Ordinary Americans, already disdainful of politicians, will conclude members of Congress have discarded what's left of their personal consciences in favor of suspect partisan motives.

Thoughtful Americans are looking for a higher level of analysis and decision-making in Congress. They want to hear all the evidence, not just one side, and they don't want a pell-mell rush to judgment by fiery partisans on either side of this issue.

It's convenient to believe most Americans are so turned off by the behavior of Washington politicians that they're not paying attention. But they are, accumulating information from various sources and getting, if not a full picture, at least enough fragments to ask the critical question:

Are Clinton's extramarital affair and his lies about it serious enough to remove him from office?

A second important question follows: Is there something else Clinton did, either in the Lewinsky affair or other aspects of his presidency being investigated, that isn't yet publicly known and would qualify as an impeachable offense?

If the hearings are conducted fairly, under committee chairman Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois, all Americans will have a better understanding of what Clinton and his associates did and how serious it is. When the hearings end, everyone will be able to draw a more informed conclusion on whether the president should be removed from office.

This process has a price tag attached. Congress and the president could become so involved in the hearings that little of the country's business will get done.

Already, official Washington has been distracted by Clinton's troubles, and major legislation is being given short shrift or abandoned for this year. Members of Congress, especially those up for re-election next month, ought to be keenly aware of their responsibilities to the voters, and do their jobs.

Right now, the story of Clinton's behavior is incomplete. After the impeachment hearings, everyone will have more knowledge _ unless bitter partisanship turns the hearing room into a pitched battle in which truth is the first casualty.